Interesting topic to discuss. For me personally, the issue isn't the message itself as I like entertainment that has something to say and teach me (as long as it's not preachy), it's the way the message is integrated into a movie. For older movies, the story came first and most of the times the message/moral was already present in the story adapted (don't judge a book by its cover; have faith/be kind and you'll be rewarded; women are as equally capable as men are, etc, etc.), or it comes out organically without ever being spelled out or spoken out loud. For example, the way Aladdin defeats Jafar, it's such a clever resolution of the conflict and a great illustration of "brain over brawn".
In newer movies, it appears it's the message they want to convey that comes first and then they try to build the whole movie around it. Which whatever, fine, that's what allegories are for. But... They actually embed it in the script, and have characters repeat it so many times that it becomes meaningless in the end. Such banalization just takes away from any subtlety the message may have and it feels moralizing, and it rubs people the wrong way. It's the bastardization of the "show, don't tell" rule. Raya is one of the more egregious examples with how many times they talk about trust/trusting/learning to trust/trust issues. If it was a drinking game, you'd be wasted 15 minutes into the movie.
In newer movies, it appears it's the message they want to convey that comes first and then they try to build the whole movie around it. Which whatever, fine, that's what allegories are for. But... They actually embed it in the script, and have characters repeat it so many times that it becomes meaningless in the end. Such banalization just takes away from any subtlety the message may have and it feels moralizing, and it rubs people the wrong way. It's the bastardization of the "show, don't tell" rule. Raya is one of the more egregious examples with how many times they talk about trust/trusting/learning to trust/trust issues. If it was a drinking game, you'd be wasted 15 minutes into the movie.
Statistics: Posted by Mooky — Thu Jan 18, 2024 2:32 pm